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Sunday, 13 December 2015

Secret Santa at A Vintage Journey

Hi there, what an exciting day for us all at A Vintage Journey. A few months ago Brenda put all our names into a hat and revealed
secretly to us all who we would be making a gift for. I was told that Jenny
from Pushing the Right Buttons was to receive my gift. I was so excited about
getting Jenny, having met this lovely lady back in August at Wendy Vecchi's
workshop made my Secret Santa gift feel extra special to make.

I decided a Tree Decoration would be a lovely keepsake
gift that could be taken out each year and remind Jenny of Secret Santa at AVJ.

My daughter had brought me several little Birdhouses home
from Michaels in America, sadly this was my last one but I'm sure she will be
making a trip again with her work soon to get me some more. I started by giving
it a coat of paint and Weathered Wood. Next adding a thick Layer of white
Crackle paint.

Sorry I don't have any more ongoing photos as I got so
excited with the Crackles Lol. Let me just show you on my photos.

Next I added a thick layer of paste around the base of my
house and onto areas where I wanted it too look like snow had fallen onto mossy
areas. I then dripped 2 shades of Green Alcohol Inks onto these areas along
with some chunky white embossing powder along with a finer white and sparkly
ones and let it completely dry.

Once dry I heat set the powders, they expanded
and gave a super snowy effect.

My roof is sheets of Bark available from That Craft Place
(links on sidebar) which I glued in layers onto my roof.

I sealed my crackle effect with Deco Art Matt Varnish and
sprinkled on some Glamour Dust for a Glistening effect whilst still wet. Next I
start to sprinkle on several layers of different snowy embossing powders from
Frantage and Wow powders.

Next I added Deco Art Glistening Snow Writer to form
icicles around my house adding on extra sparkle from Glamour Dust.

My Icicles on the roof were die cut and Heat Embossed
with Wow powders. More heat embossed snow on the roof.

My cute little Robin was shaded with Distress Inks and
Black Liquid Pearls adding onto his eye. My little date sign was made from a
Coffee Stirrer. I used a crackle effect and added some Red Glistening embossing
powder to the edges to frame it. My date was added from Tim's Transfer Sheets.

Around the back you will see all the effects applied
again and a Transfer from Tims Sheets.

My Secret Santa was Alison from Words and Pictures, I was lucky to meet this wonderful lady at Andy Skinner's workshop in November so was really pleased to learn my gift was from her. She has made me this amazing nostalgic 3D Christmas scene, I love Dolls Houses so this was the perfect gift for me. I absolutely adore all the incredible details and when the light is switched on at night as its sits on my Fireplace Hearth it looks glorious.

And if that wasn't enough she also sent me some bags filled with embellishments for my stash which I have shown a few and the super Festive Tag. Thanks so much Alison, I feel honoured to have a Crafty Keepsake from you.

Please stop by Alison's BLOG to see more photographs and details of
my gift.

I can't wait to hear what Jenny thinks of her gift from
me and see what the other Creative Guides have made. Please pop over HERE to
see the reveal.

Crafty Hugs,Julie xI wish to enter this in to the following Challenges:

33 comments:

I'm not sure I even have words to express how much I adore your birdhouse ornament, Julie! Jenny is going to be THRILLED!! I have been pouring over your post and the techniques you used to create this beauty. WOW!! Amazing! Fabulous! Gorgeous! #wishiwasjennyHugs,Nancy

Julie, the details on the birdhouse are fabulous, you created such a realistic mossy effect, I thought for a moment that you had added some real moss! I absolutely adore the bark roof (I 'need' some now) and the little Robin is a delight! I am sure Jenny will treasure this for many years to come.

Alison's house is such a thoughtful gift for a lady who loves doll houses and the details on it are wonderful, I can see why you love it! Hugs, Anne xx

Oh Julie, your altered birdhouse is just incredible, I love every little corner of it and the bark roof is just the perfect finishing touch! What a fantastic vintage delight, I love it!! Your little cabin in the woods from Alison is wonderful too! We are all so lucky to be part of this team!Julie have the most wonderful Christmas and I really hope we will have a chance to catch up again in the new year. Sending big hugs! xxxxx

I am sure everyone out there will be as amazed as I am to see how much of a transformation this little bird house has gone through. You would never know that the whole thing wasn't created purely from aged balsa!!! Seamless and highly skilled craftsmanship have gone into this I can tell you! I can't even begin to describe just how much I ADORE this INCREDIBLY special gift. Honestly, the sparkle, the crackle and the subtle colouring are even more amazing in real life. I will treasure this forever and it will take pride of place in the annual festive decorations from here on in. Thank you SO MUCH Julie! Jenny xxx

Julie, there is so much to love about your Secret Santa birdhouse gift to Jenny! The crackle and the roof are incredible! What a wonderful gift to give and speaking about wonderful, fabulous gift from Allison. Merry Christmas!

A stunning rustic bird house, Julie - in fact, with all those sparkles, I suspect the faeries will be moving in soon! Gorgeous bark roof - wow! - and fabulous mossy surround at the foot. It's a real treat of a makeover - I love it. So delighted you like your little house - with the dollshouse connection it just seemed the right thing to go for! Alison xx

Julie...I saw this gorgeous little Christmas house you made for Jenny on her blog. I immediately fell in love with it. Such a stunning little piece! You did a beautiful job on it. And the little house you received from Alison is also just precious.

Wow Julie stunning creation. Being the owner of a Secret Santa gift from you last year I know how amazing your attention to detail is. This looks fabulous and I bet it is even better in real life! xxx (PS love the bark... must get some)

What an absolutely FABULOUS altered art project, more like home decor! I loved reading about this swap. Your birdhouse is such a creative addition. The bark along the top is my favorite part, but I love the bit of words at the bottom. So very pretty!!!

I could seriously stare at this all day. What an amazing piece!! It would have been hard for me to give it away, but I know she will treasure it forever. Thanks SO much for sharing this gorgeous work of art with us at Frilly and Funkie!

Just.... WOWOWOWOWOWOW and maybe a how too!! This is just incredible!! I love that little robin and his house, what an incredible creation - it is just beautiful and beyond words!! Thank you so much for playing along at Frilly and Funkie xx

I'm absolutely speechless! That little birdhouse is beyond amazing - it's simply stunning. I LOVE the crackle effect and all the little details that went into making this such a special gift. Thanks so much for playing along at Happy Little Stampers! :)

Apologies for my late commenting Julie - hope you will forgive me . Life threw out a few curve balls recently and now trying to catch up . Your little birdhouse is absolutely stunning! Every last inch of it is crafted impeccably to give it real authenticity . Truly amazing !

Your gift from Alison is wonderful too . Boy are you ladies talented at AVJ - I have a lot to live up to .

WOW!!!! Your little bird house is simply stunning and what a gorgeous gift. Your attention to detail is amazing and I love the bark on the roof. Thanks for playing along at Happy Little Stampers. Linda xx

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About Me

Hello Everyone, hope my Blog gives you inspiration.
I'm married to Chris my soulmate and have 2 grown up girls, Chris does the photography and computer side of my blog. I enjoy making cards, 3D projects, upcycling and altered art. You will see a wide interest of medias used on my blog, I love using dies, paints, inks and media pastes. I am currently a DT member for Cheery Lynn Designs, Craft Consortium and Cherish the Memory. I look forward to getting to know you in Blogland

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